Gaining Insight into the Patient Portion

Ever get this phone call? “I thought the insurance
covered this. Why am I getting a bill for $200?” What does it take to explain
the patient portion of a bill? The Dentrix Ascend Summary and Detailed explanation pages keep you from digging through records to find procedures, insurance portions, adjustments, and
benefits used. This great tool provides insights that will allow you to discuss
patient benefits and statements with confidence.

The first page to open is the Summary View. At a high level you can see the charge amount, how much has yet to be paid by insurance, any credit adjustments, and the total payments made.

If you need more information, click to open the Detailed View. This will show coverage percentages, benefits remaining, payments and adjustments made—the works.

Be aware of colored text in the detailed view—click these links for even more information. In particular, orange text warns of gotchas: claims not created, benefits maxed out, coverage exceptions, and so forth.

Additional Information

If you find a configuration error—for example, the charge amount or allowable amount is wrong—jump into your configuration and make changes. When you come back to the Ledger, your updates will be reflected immediately.

Click the “?” badge in the Patient Portion pages to see a legend explaining the symbols and colors used in this area, which are identical to those used by the Ledger.